Why You Need to Run Ethanol / E85 Right Now

The benefits of running ethanol / E85 fuel have long been known in the performance community, but what's really surprising to us is how many people still aren't doing it. You can get ethanol / e85 fuel right at many gas stations and it actually costs less per gallon than regular unleaded gasoline, with a cost/mile that's about the same (since you need more ethanol / e85 per air volume.) The impressive part is that ethanol / e85 is actually RACE FUEL, with an octane rating of 105 - and that's just for starters. Ethanol / e85 also has a lower ignition point which means it burns cooler, lowering EGT and adding power. And remember how you have to add more ethanol / e85 per volume of air? Well all that liquid goes even farther to decrease cylinder temperatures... this is like adding the benefits of water injection just by changing your fuel.

In summary, ethanol / e85 is a fuel that's cheaper than pump gas, and better than race gas.

All this hearsay actually works out in real life too. Under typical circumstances, such as a turbocharged car that's properly tuned, with tuning and boost limited by knock, switching to ethanol / E85 and re-tuning will get you at least 10% more power, with results up to 25% more power very plausible. In fact, Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg has experimented with ethanol / e85, and the result was a Koenigsegg CCXR, normally rated at 806 HP, making an astounding 1018 HP.

All this comes at a price of... almost nothing. You might need some kind of fuel control if your car isn't flex fuel, either piggyback or standalone, and depending on your car you might need new fuel injectors, a new fuel pump, FPR, or upgraded fuel lines. While you're at it, why not upgrade to our AN fittings and braided stainless steel, ethanol / e85 compatible PTFE fuel lines? Switching to a bigger size fuel lines might alleviate your need for a new pump at lower cost, plus they're guaranteed 100% compatible with ethanol / e85, unlike the rubber lines in your car. They also look better and are easier to clean.

A couple hundred horsepower for a couple hundred dollars... sounds like a good deal... and it is.